Self bailing boat



March 22, 1960 P. l.. VELTMAN 2,929,347

SELF BAILING BOAT Filed March 2, 1956 Ililigll 24 muni?" 1 WMM INVENTORUnied Sates SELF BAILING BOAT Preston L. Veltman, Severna Park, Mtl.Application March 2, 1956, Serial No. 569,004

Claims. (Cl. 114-183) quently are relatively iiat although the hulls ofsome produce substantial displacement.

Water which has fallen or seeped into the bottom of a boat is anuisance, interferes with the satisfactory use of the boat and causesdelay in such use due to the time required for its removal.

lt is an object of the invention to provide a simple, inexpensiveandpractical means by which water automatically will be discharged from theinterior of a boat while the boat is unoccupied or when the weight ofthe contents of the boat is below a predetermined value and which willbecome inactive when the weight of the boat exceeds such predeterminedvalue.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic drain for aboat with means for automatically closing the drain when the load in theboat reaches' a predetermined value.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat with an automaticdrain, automatic meansy for closing the drain when weight within theboat reaches a predetermined value and manual means for positivelyclosing the drain regardlessof the weight within the boat.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingwherein:

Fig. l is a perspective of a boat having a buoyant bottom and a drainvalve therein;

Fig. 2, a transverse section of a boat taken substantially on line 2 2of Fig. 1 and showing the drain valve in elevation underneath the seatof the boat with a manually closed cap in sealing relation on the drainvalve;

Fig. 3, an enlarged section taken substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. 2and illustrating a ball type of float valve in its open or drainingposition and showing the manually operated closure in its open position;

Fig. 4, a fragmentary sectional view through the drain valve andmounting plate illustrating the manually opf erated closure in shutposition;

Fig. 5, an enlarged sectional view, similar to Fig. 3, illustrating amodified form of ball type oat valve with venturi outlet; and A Fig 6, asection similar to Fig. 3 illustrating a further modied form oat. A

Briefly stated, a boat constructed in accordance with the presentinvention may have spaced bottom Walls pro` plastic with the boat sodesigned and constructed that l arent of 4valve including a pivotallymounted;

'l) viding'spacevfor air or for buoyant material such as foam To assuresuch drain remaining open as long as the.

waterline is below the upper wall of the bottom of the boat, said 'drainbeing designed and intended to close.4- rutomatically when the weightwithin the boat causes the, boat to submerge partially with resultantrise in water. level, means is provided for closing the drain, suchmeans? desirably being in the form of a lioat valve. This oat.

may comprise a ball, a float on a lever pivoted to the boat, or otherform of float member and additional means also can be provided for themanual closing of the drain such as a separate valve or means forholding the valve closed.

The present invention comprises a self-hailing device which is capableof being embodied in boat hull designs of both relatively ilat planingtypes and displacement types, the former being constructed to cause thebottom to literally lift out of the water as the forward speed isincreased while the displacement type rides somewhat deeper in the waterand pushes the water aside as it moves forward.

ri`his invention is directed to boats which are selfbailing when theyare not loaded by a particular arrangement of buoyancy factors asrelated to total weight distribution, a valve being provided to permitthe out-flowv of water when the boat is not in use or not loaded and toprevent the in-flow of water when the boat is loaded.

in order to obtain these objectives, specic design andv combination offeatures and materials are required. It is well known that a oatingobject is buoyed up by the weight of water displaced and that the weightof water displaced is essentially equal to the weight of the object inthe air. A boat in accordance with the present invention is designed sothat the ilotation ability of its bottom is in excess of that requiredmerely to oat thel boat and, further, the disposition of theincremental' volume is so arranged that the boat floats in a manner;such that water will drain from the boat through avalve or valves whenthe boat is not in use.

in the present invention, the drain valve is an integral part of theboat. It is designed to be open when the inside surface of the boatbottom is above the water level and designed to close automatically whenthe boat is loaded'and the inside surface of the boat bottom is belowthe water line. The valve may be operated manually but most desirablyfunctions automaticallywhen the boat is put in service and, desirably, amanual positive closure may be provided as a safety measure.

In a boat of small displacement the valve is intended and designed tooperate on small water level differentials. If preferred, a type ofvalve may be used which utilizes a floating ball which lies on thesurface. of the water in a manner to engage the valve seat to check thein-tiow of water. This structure can be made in relatively smalldimensions and vcan be contained within the required dimensions of thehull bottom. For example, in the simple boat illustrated in the drawing,the bottom may be approximately Afour feet by six feet in surface K..area and two inches thick. The complete boat so constructed willvweightabout pounds and therefore.l when not loaded will float with one'inch'submersionf of itsbottom (two cubic feet displacement which equalsA 125pounds). The valve is illustrated in the open posiy tion andrainandwater otherwise entering the .boat will ow towards and be drainedthrough the valve. When Patented Mar. 22, i960 the boat is loaded andthe displacement accordingly increased, the ball type valve illustratedwill float on lthe surface of the water and close the drain. Furtherloading will simply increase the draft of the boat. However, when theload is removed, the valve again will open and the boat will beself-draining or ba-iling. lf desired, instead of the lightweight foamplastic illustrated, such as styrofoam, which offers physical rigidityand safety, the foam plastic may be omitted so that only spaced walls onthe top and bottom surfaces of the boat bottom pro.- vide an air chambertherebetween for buoyancy. lt is obvious, however, that a wide choice ofstructural materials may rbe utilized whether foam plastic, plywood,glass cloth or the like, `by which `a composite bottom can be providedhaving a density of approximately 15 pounds per cubic foot althoughthese iigures are only suggestive and in no manner vlimitive. The sixfeet by four feet bottom of the vboat inthe disclosure having athickness of two inches would therefore weigh about four times l poundsper cubic foot or 60 lpounds and there.- fore account for approximatelyone-half of the assumed 125 pound total weight of the boat. The basicrequirements for obtaining the desiredresult are previously indicatedand this example is by way of further illustration` Upon more detailedreference to the drawing, a boat is shown having a bottom with lower andupper walls 11 and liZ, a bayonet substance such as foam plastic 13between such walls, with a drain opening therethrough, lined by a tubing14 secured by a weld 15 or other fastening means to a disc 16 adapted tobe secured in position by means of rivets 17 or the like passing throughsaid lower and upper spaced walls 11 and 12, .the upper wall having adepressed flange portion 18 with a gasket 19 thereon for sealing thedisc 16 with a watertight joint, the ends of the rivets 17 also beingsealed to exclude water and countersunk to avoid objectionableroughness.

The disc 16 is provided with a centrally located aperture 20 including avalve seat 21 cooperating with a buoyant valve body or ball 22 so thatwhen the ball is buoyed upward and contacts the valve seat, the valve isclosed and passage of water therethrough is prevented.

If desired, a screen 23 may be secured over the lower end of the tubing14 to retain the valve body 22 therein and to excludeforeign matterwhich might interfere with the operation of the valve, the screenpermitting free passage of water into or out of the drain or tube 14.Above the opening 20 an upstanding externally threaded sleeve 24 havingopenings 25 around its lower periphery is secured to disc 16 by weldingor the like, such sleeve receiving a cap 26 and to which a depending rodor stem portion 27 is secured with a valve head 28 removably attachedthereto as by means of a screw or other fastener 29 to permit removal orreplacement of: the valve body 28. The disc 16 immediately vsurroundingthe opening 20 is provided with an annular valve seat 30 against whichthe valve head 28 carried by cap 26 is adapted to seat when the cap 26is screwed down to the position shown in Fig. 4 topositively preventpassage of water at all times.

Instead of the buoyant hollow ball 22, a valve body or iloat 31 (Fig. 6)may be employed. Such valve body may be in the form of a cup with an endplate 32 closing the cup, this end plate being pivotally connected tothe disc 16 by means of a hinge or pivot 33, the plate 32 sealingagainst the lower surface of the disc 16. lf desired, a suitableresilient gasket or washer may be provided between the end plate 32 andthe disc to ,assure a watertight seal.

The modified form of valve structure illustrated in Fig. 5 of thedrawings is readily installed or removed without any necessity forrivets, welding, or the like. As

illustrated, the boat bottom includes spaced lower and upper walls 11and v12 with a suitable buoyant substance 13 therebetween. The ppperwall 1 2 is provided with a depressed flange portion 18 and the drainopening, which 4 it will be understood desirably is located centrally ofthe boat bottom and at the lowermost level thereof in the eventthat theinterior surface of the boat bottom is not iiat, extends through saiddepressed ange portion, buoyant material and lower Wall 11.

A tubular Valve housing 34 is positioned within said drain opening, saidhousing including an outwardly extending flange 35 located intermediatethe extremities thereof. This ange is receivable within the depressedportion 18 of the upper wall 12, a vsealing gasket 36 being interposedbetween said tlange and depressed portion, with the upper surface of theflange in substantial alignment with the upper wall of the boat bottom.

The valve housing `extends beneath the ange 35 a distance substantiallycoinciding with the thickness of the boat bottom and said housingextends above the tlange a suicient distance to receive manuallyoperable valve sealing means or closure plug as will be described morefully hereafter.

An internal web 37 having a centrally located aperture 38 therein -isprovided within the Valve housing, in substantial alignment with theflange 35, the lower periphery of said aperture comprising a taperedvalve seat 39. Immediately above said internal web the valve body isprovided with a plurality of spaced apertures or ports 40 whereby anywater within the boat may flow into the valve body and draintherethrough. Desirably, the valve body is internallyy threaded at thelower and upper extremities thereof, as illustrated at 41 and 42respectively, for the reception vof suitable closure elements.

`To secure the valve housing within the boat there is provided a bottom.closure plate 43 having an upstanding externally threaded tubularextension 44 intended for engagement Within the complementarily threadedportion 41 of the valve housing, a sealing gasket 45 being interposedbetween the closure plate 43 and the bottom Wall 11 of the boat bottom.This closure plate includes a rearwardly directed Venturi passage 46providing vdirect communication through the tubular extension 44 withthe interior of the valve housing.

The structure thus described lends itself to particularly convenientassembly, lthe bottom closure plate 43 serving as retention meanstoprevent inadvertent displacement Vof a ball-type valve 47 positionedwithin Lthe valve housing .and functioning -in a manner identical tothat previously described in connection with the valve body 22 to closethe drain passage automatically when the weight ofthe boat exceeds apredetermined value and the exterior water level rises above the level.of the upper wall 12 of the boat bottom.

Suitable manual closure means is provided for the drain thus described,the embodiment thereof illustrated including an externallyy threadedplug 48 intended for engagement within the internally threaded portion42 at the upper extremity of the valve housing 34. A disk 49, desirablyformed from suitable flexible or resilient material, is detachablymounted beneath the closure plug by any suitable means such as a machinescrew 5t), or the like, for ready replacement. lt will be obvious thatwhen the closure -plug is adjusted manually to its lowermost position,the disk or -va'lve 49 will engage with the upper surface of theinternal web 37, located within the valve housing, and effectively sealthe boat drain, preventing any passage of water therethrough in eitherdirection. For convenient operation, the closure plug 48 may be providedwith an operating handle or extension 51 including a transverse aperture52.

The application of the Venturi-tube principle to the drain of thepresent invention provides means `for automatically draining or hailingthe boat when in motion in the event of the depositing therein ofundesired water, the forward Ymovement of the boat, generallyaecomranisd by a lifting .0f the bow in acqrdanse with the Speed oftravel, providing Suction through the Venturitube outlet of the drainwhereby upon opening of the closure plug 48 automatic bailing willresult.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isillustrated in the drawing anddescribed in the specification, but onlyas indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A sporting boat constructed from relatively thin sheet material toprovide maximum interior volume and having relatively closely spacedwalls defining the bottom thereof, said boat being so constructed as tohave buoyancy such that the waterline is between said spaced wallswhereby the upper of the two walls is above the waterline when the boatis not loaded, a vertically disposed tube extending through said spacedwalls and providing a passageway for draining said boat, a horizontallydisposed disk extending across the upper extremity of said tube andhaving an aperture communicating therewith, the under-surface of saiddisc immediately surrounding said aperture providing an annular valveseat, a depressed flange portion in the upper wall of said bottomsurrounding said passageway and providing a recess for the reception ofsaid disc whereby the upper surface thereof is substantially flush withthe surrounding surface of the boat bottom, an upwardly extending sleevesecured, to said disk in surrounding relation with respect to theaperture therein, said sleeve having a plurality of spaced drainageopenings immediately adjacent the lower edge thereof providingcommunication between the interior of the boat and said passageway, andvalve means located within said tube for closing said passagewayautomatically when the boat is so loaded that the waterline is above theupper of the spaced walls of the bottom of said boat. v

2. In a sporting boat as set forth in claim 1, a threaded closure forsaid sleeve, a depending valve member carried by said closure, and anannular valve seat on the upper surface of said disk whereby manualoperation of said threaded closure will prevent passage of water throughsaid tube in either direction.

3. A boat as set forth in claim 2 means comprises a buoyant ball.

4. A boat as set forth in claim 2 where said valve means comprises anelement pivotally mounted in said tube.

5. A boat as set forth in claim 2 where said tube is provided with abottom closure `terminating in a rearwardly directed Venturi tube.

where said valve References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 291,353 Jobin Ian. 1, 1884 316,882 Dobbins Apr. 28, 18851,140,469 Lundin May 25, 1915 1,718,764 Sochurek June 25, 1929 2,417,508Leyde Mar. 18, 1947 2,772,648 De Persia Dec. 4, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS t1,708 Great Britain Apr. 19, 1881

